Some events seem destined for movie production; such is the case with “the Miracle on the Hudson,” the January 15, 2009 incident when pilots Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger and Jeff Skiles successfully landed an airliner on the Hudson River after a bird strike rendered both jet engines inoperable.  Everyone survived, waiting on the wings of the floating airliner until ferryboats arrived to complete their evacuation.  It was an event that made happy headlines around the world.

Clint Eastwood’s film dramatizes not only the successful landing, but a few possible outcomes that were not so positive.  Mainly, the film dramatizes the immediate aftermath and investigation, during which Sullenberger (Tom Hanks) and Skiles (Aaron Eckhart) are put through an emotional ringer — and find themselves refuting the behind-the-scenes belief that the water landing was unnecessary (and darned lucky).  While the world celebrates them as heroes, the two pilots are forced to confront the idea that they may have reacted in the wrong way.

I found the investigatory part of the film problematic.  The timeline suggests that the investigation was run, and finalized, within days after the incident, which is simply not reasonable given the complexities involved.  It portrays the NTSB investigators as hostile and closed-minded, a portrayal which the actual investigators have protested (their names were changed).  Todd Komarnicki’s script seems to vilify not only those investigators but the process itself.  This entire part of the film seems fabricated and padded — and it is a major part of the film.

Thankfully, the center of the story remains solid.  Sullenberger and Skiles make a remarkable journey from the crash itself through a period wherein they were introduced to the world.  When the film focuses on this it is compelling and thoroughly effective; Eastwood fashions this as a microcosm of celebrity, warts and all.  The acting of Hanks and Eckhart is top-flight, making the most of rather under-developed characters.  Laura Linney, as Sullenberger’s wife, has the same problem but is unable to overcome her characters’ obstacles.

Sully defied my expectations, and not always in a good way.  Overall I feel it is a positive movie experience, despite its shortcomings, mainly because a plane crash — even a controlled forced water landing — is dramatic gold.  The impact is lessened by the audience’s prior knowledge that it all worked perfectly, but in the future it will gain viewers who do not know the history involved.  Then it can truly become what it aspires to be: a character study of two men whose professionalism saved 155 lives that day, including their own, with consequences they never anticipated.  ☆ ☆ ☆.  21 September 2016.